Futuremakers Awards 2024: Honouring the next Generation of Young Entrepreneurs
on February 5, 2025February 3, 2025, Frankfurt, Germany – Standard Chartered Foundation and KIZ SINNOVA are pleased toannounce the winners of the “Futuremakers Award 2024” of the Futuremakers Entrepreneurship Programme which supports young people to set up successful companies.
The award ceremony, which took place on 31 January 2025 in Frankfurt am Main, is the highlight of the 2024 Futuremakers Entrepreneurship Programme in Germany. After presentations from the nine finalists’ innovative businesses ideas in the award’s three categories – Female Empowerment, Business Progress, and Social Impact, the winners of the Futuremakers Award 2024 were chosen by the audience during the event. Each winner received a prize money of EUR1,500 and a bespoke coaching packages to help them take their businesses to the next level. They are:
In the Female Empowerment category: Linda Adams, Frankfurt, for her company CREAM. After studying sinology and working as a project manager, Linda decided to transition into the bakery trade as a career changer, seeking to engage in more manual work. She has now turned her idea into reality with her first orders and offers homemade (monster) cookies in various flavours. She wants to encourage her customers to enjoy and socialise more consciously. As a career changer and young role model, she epitomises the advancement of women in the best possible way.
In the Business Progress category; Nura Froemel, Frankfurt, with HERONNE. The company offers home test kits to assess the level of harmful substances in the body, paired with coaching to support positive lifestyle changes. The next step is to create a marketplace for no- and low-tox products HERONNE combines modern technology with scientific expertise and personal support to create a lasting positive impact on the health of customers and the protection of the environment. In her pitch, Nura highlighted HERONNE’s growing impact and scaling potential and how the Futuremakers programme has helped develop her business through coaching and community. www.heronne.com
In the Social Impact category: Dario Hergarden, Rodgau-Jügesheim. His company, Fahrlingo, is a driving school specially designed for migrants who want to obtain a German driving licence. He supports people throughout Germany in overcoming hurdles such as language barriers (driving lessons in German and English) and bureaucratic difficulties (recognition of international driving licences), thus helping them to achieve greater mobility and faster integration in Germany. The special driving school concept consisting of YouTube tutorials, e-learning tools and a specialised driving school thus creates a significant social impact. www.fahrlingo.com
This year’s edition of the Futuremakers Awards received 29 applications from the Futuremakers Entrepreneurship Programme. The nine finalists were selected by a jury.
Funded by the Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF) as part of Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, a global youth economic empowerment initiative to combat inequality and promote economic inclusion, the Futuremakers Entrepreneurship Programme was launched in Germany in 2021. It supports young entrepreneurs and youth-led SMEs who have mastered their business projects despite economic challenges. The programme is supported by Youth Business International (YBI), a global network of expert organisations helping young people to start and grow their business, and delivered by KIZ SINNOVA gGmbH Offenbach (KIZ). Employees from Standard Chartered Bank have been supporting the programme with mentorship and hosting workshops at their offices in Frankfurt.
In the period from 2022 to 2024, the programme supported over 750 young founders through training and mentoring to start and grow their business. Around 60% of the beneficiaries were women; a particular highlight of the collaboration is the Futuremakers Female Training, which is very popular and in high demand.
Nicolo Salsano, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank AG and CEO Europe, says: “I am continually impressed by the participants in the Futuremakers programme. This year, we celebrate outstanding talents and innovative business ideas that contribute significantly to society. The award winners inspire and motivate my team and me to continue our efforts. We look forward to sharing our expertise and supporting the Futuremakers programme again in 2025.”
Dirk Luenzer, Managing Director of KIZ SINNOVA gGmbH, on Futuremakers Germany: “With great pride, my team looks back on the past four years, during which we have been able to support numerous young entrepreneurs. The Futuremakers Germany community continues to grow, reaching its pinnacle each year with the annual award ceremony. I am excited to carry forward our impactful collaboration with Standard Chartered into 2025.”
Quote Anita Tiessen, CEO Youth Business International: “Together with our member KIZ Sinnova and our partner Standard Chartered Foundation, we’ve created a programme that equips young entrepreneurs, particularly young women, with the tools, training, and support they need to build successful businesses. By prioritizing young female entrepreneurs, we’re not just opening doors to opportunity—we’re breaking down barriers to make entrepreneurship more inclusive and accessible. This partnership is a testament to the power of collective action in shaping a future where every young person has the opportunity to unlock their full potential.”
– ENDS –
For further information please contact:
Christina Wiedemann, CW-PR Kommunikation
Tel: +49 172 6873371, E-Mail: c.wiedemann@cw-pr.de
Sabine Krüger, Sabine Krüger Kommunikation
Tel: +49 152 33803421, E-Mail: s.krueger@breidensteinkrueger.com
Dunja Buchhaupt, KIZ SINNOVA Gesellschaft für soziale Innovationen gGmbH
E-Mail: dunjabuchhaupt@kiz.de
Note to Editors
Brief description of the Futuremakers Awards categories
Female Empowerment – Award for women who have taken the leap into self-employment and through their work inspire and encourage other women to develop professionally or personally – with or without children.
Business Progress – Award for entrepreneurs who seek and see opportunities for themselves and their businesses, and who are constantly adapting and improving. This category includes inspiring examples that motivate others to develop further.
Social Impact – Award for entrepreneurs who uncover and address a social problem. Your company creates social/environmental added value and wants to achieve social impact.
About us
KIZ SINNOVA gGmbH
KIZ has been an advisory expert for self-employed people since 1997 and is the German partner of the worldwide YBI network. Futuremakers Germany is a non-profit initiative of KIZ SINNOVA gGmbH, Offenbach in cooperation with YBI (Youth Business International) and the Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF), London.
Standard Chartered Foundation
The Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF) is a charitable organisation that tackles inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people, particularly girls, young women and people with visual impairments. Its programmes focus on education, employability and entrepreneurship, and include projects that support economic recovery for communities impacted by COVID-19.
Established in 2019, SCF is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1184946) and is the lead delivery partner for Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, a global initiative to tackle inequality. www.sc.com/scfoundation
About Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 52 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Youth Business International
YBI is a global network of expert organisations helping young people around the world to start, grow and sustain businesses, leveraging entrepreneurship to create decent work and drive inclusive economic growth, whilst transforming livelihoods and strengthening communities.
Our efforts are particularly focused on disadvantaged young people, equipping them to build the skills, confidence and connections they need to beat the odds and become successful business owners. By operating at the crossroads of business and social development, we support the entrepreneurs that are shaping the future, working to solve some of the greatest challenges of our time, and creating opportunities – not just for themselves but for us all. www.youthbusiness.org.
Female Empowerment: Linda Adams
From left to right: Diana Bär (KIZ), Linda Adams (Siegerin Female Empowerment), Linda Heim (KIZ), Valeriya Pilkevich (Finalistin Female Empowerment), Annika List stellvertretend für Mareike List (Finalistin Female Empowerment), Dunja Buchhaupt (KIZ)
Business Progress: Nura Froemel
From left to right: Alexander Engel (Standard Chartered), Teuta Avdyli (Finalistin Business Progress), Nura Froemel (Siegerin Business Progress), Anna Filby (Finalistin Business Progress), Jochen Bloß (KIZ)
Social Impact: Dario Hergarden
From left to right: Lydia Zoubek, Layla Feßel-Quentin (Finalistin Social Impact), Marion Reuter (Standard Chartered), Dario Hergarden (Sieger Social Impact), Dunja Buchhaupt (KIZ), Helen Daughtrey, (Finalistin Social Impact)